Harm Reduction Clinical Services for Substance Use, Misuse and Abuse

This program at Harborside Health Center is designed for individuals who feel they have a substance abuse or misuse issue. Harm Reduction means simply making positive change in your life. You reduce harm to yourself, your family and community when you take responsibility for your substance abuse.

Sign up for your first session at the Oakland reception desk or contact us for more information. Laine Demetria will call to schedule your first session according to her availability.

About Laine Demetria:
Laine Demetria, MS, LMFT (#31868) is a somatic psychotherapist who treats trauma, substance abuse and misuse as well as process addictions. She utilizes an integrative harm reduction psychotherapy approach which incorporates her extensive training and expertise in body based modalities. Laine's specialty is trauma resolution utilizing the body techniques of EMDR (a form of body-centered trauma resolution work) and EFT as well as NVC (Nonviolent Communication). Her practice includes couples, parents of children with chronic medical conditions as well as adult survivors of childhood abuse and illness. She has also worked with PTSD, grief and loss, disability, medical trauma, attachment parenting, adoption (including transracial adoption), alternative families, and LGBTQ issues. Ms. Demetria maintains a private practice in Albany and San Francisco and also works at Harborside Health Center in Oakland where she runs the Thrivers Women's Support Group, Cannabis 101 Group and Parent Support Group for patients exploring medical cannabis.www.lainedemetria.comwww.mindbodymend.net

We Choose to Not Use the Term "Medical Marijuana"

While you may have heard medical cannabis referred to as medical marijuana, at
Harborside we do not use that term. William Randolph Hearst utilized
the word marijuana, as did his political allies, to promote harmful stereotypes
about both the Mexican and Black populations. Smokers of marijuana were frequently
caricatured as crazed and violent black men or lazy, thieving Mexicans.

We use the term medical cannabis rather than medical marijuana because we choose
not to associate the positive healing properties of cannabis with the negative,
racist undertones of the word marijuana. To use that term would passively support
the wrong and hurtful notions of Hearst and his allies, whereas we believe
that cannabis is medicine, and is meant for people of all colors and walks of
life.